1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to the general art of hand tools, and to the particular field of tools used in connection with barbecue grills.
2. Discussion of the Related Art
Many people enjoy barbecuing, and barbecuing can occur all year round and in many situations. While many people enjoy barbecuing, few people enjoy cleaning up a barbecue grill after use. Cleaning a barbecue grill often involves using a stiff-bristled brush and cleanser on the grill. This is a time consuming and unpleasant task.
Therefore, there is a need for a tool that can be used to efficiently and easily clean a barbecue grill.
However, making it easier to clean a grill of a barbecue unit is only part of a solution to making barbecuing more efficient and more pleasant. If the tool used to clean the grill is, itself, difficult to clean, then the advantages of the tool may be vitiated. If the tool is disposed of, cost concerns may also vitiate advantages of the tool.
Therefore, there is a need for a tool that can be used to clean a barbecue grill, but which, itself, can be easily cleaned.
Still further, after use, a barbecue grill is generally very hot and can be dangerous. In order to dispose of spent coals, the grill is often simply dumped off onto the ground. This is not a sanitary practice nor is it entirely safe.
Therefore, there is a need for a tool that can be used to handle a grill of a barbecue unit in a safe manner.
Still further, initially igniting the coals of a barbecue grill can be dangerous. The coals are generally soaked with an ignition fluid and an open flame applied to the coals. The ignition fluid often quickly flares up and then burns until the coals are ignited. If a user""s hand is near the coals there may be a danger that the user""s hand may be singed, or worse, when the coals are initially ignited.
Therefore, there is a need for a tool that can space a user""s hand from the coals when the coals are being ignited.
Often, as the cooking is being carried out, the coals are rearranged. The rearrangement of coals keeps the fire hot and locates the heat in the most desired places to continue cooking food on the grill. However, at the present time, many people simply use a fork or a long stick to rearrange the coals. This may require the user to remove the grill which will be hot. However, even if the grill need not be removed, it is difficult to move hot coals around with a stick or the like.
Therefore, there is a need for a tool that will permit movement of ignited coals during a barbecuing process.
It is a main object of the present invention to provide a tool that can be used to efficiently and easily clean a barbecue grill.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool that can be used to handle a grill of a barbecue unit in a safe manner.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool that can space a user""s hand from the coals when the coals are being ignited.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a tool that will permit movement of ignited coals during a barbecuing process.
It is a main object of the present invention to provide a tool that can be easily cleaned.
These, and other, objects are achieved by a tool that has an elongate body with a handle on one end and a grill contacting unit on the other end. The grill contacting unit includes two diverging tines with each including a beveled edge that can be scraped against a bar of a barbecue grill to clean that bar. The tool further includes a hollow tube near the base of the tines to contain a match. The match is releasably positioned in the hollow tube to have the head of the match located outside of the tube. Striking the head of the match ignites the match, and the match can then be placed next to igniter fluid-soaked charcoals to ignite those coals while the user holds the tool at the other end by a handle unit of the tool whereby the user""s hand is spaced apart from the coals by the tool.
The grill contacting unit of the tool is in one plane and that plane is oriented to be oblique to a plane containing the elongated body of the tool whereby a grill can be easily manipulated by the tool.
The grill contacting unit of the tool is held on the elongate body by a friction fit that is enhanced by a stop ring. In this manner, the grill contacting unit can be removed and cleaned or the beveled edges sharpened as required. The serviced grill contacting unit can then be replaced for further use.